


and all this time

by seohngjin (cngkyns)



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Platonic Relationships, Romance, Slow Burn, Summary subject to change, also jae's like the agent, but not actually slow, the mediator if you will
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-07-12 03:23:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15986597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cngkyns/pseuds/seohngjin
Summary: everyone was right about them, after all.i.e the one where everyone asks Younghyun and Sungjin whether they're dating or not, and the answer is always no (until it becomes yes).





	and all this time

**Author's Note:**

> \- aaah so this started as a small one-shot idea that kind of blew up to 6k, which became a problem since i have other (chaptered) wips to finish up. the desire to write & add to the sungbri tag was overwhelming (as usual).   
>  \- apologies for any wonky dialogue. i tried smoothing it out as much as possible ;;   
>  \- hope you'll enjoy!

 

 

"Is that my shirt you're wearing?" 

Across the breakfast counter from his best friend, Sungjin glances at the messy flower graphic tee on his chest, the size a tad bigger than his usual shirts and the design tacky for his taste. Come to think of it, he  _had_  found the shirt randomly in their shared wardrobe, but he'd assumed it was a shirt long forgotten and not one that belonged to his best friend. 

Answering with a sheepish smile, Sungjin says, "Oops. Is it yours?" 

Younghyun waves a dismissive hand in the air. "Yeah, it is, but it's fine. I haven't worn that shirt in ages, anyway." 

Fifteen minutes later, their mutual friend and neighbor, Jae, enters their home to leech off of their homemade breakfast. He plows through the entrance like it's his own apartment, following the smell of fried egg and sausages with his nose, then enters the kitchen where the two best friends dine. Taking one glance at Sungjin, Jae asks, "Is that Brian's shirt?"

The two childhood friends, without looking up from their activities, chorus, "Yes."

Sungjin adds, "And a good morning to you too, Jae." 

"Why are you wearing his shirt?" their friend asks, openly staring at the tee through his circular glasses. He doesn't return the greeting as usual. "Did you guys bang or something?" 

Frowning up at the elder, Sungjin throws a crumpled chopstick wrapper in his direction. "Gross," he rebukes. "Of course not. We're friends, not lovers." 

"Friends can share shirts if they want to!" Younghyun declares, placing down bowls of rice on the table. He distributes one bowl to each of them, then keeps one for himself. "I've done that with my pals in Canada."

Jae raises an eyebrow. "Friends can do each other if they want to, too. Ever heard of friends with benefits?" 

"Jae, you literally just entered our home, but if you mention anything like that in the next five minutes," Sungjin says, brandishing his chopsticks about, "I will end you with these." 

"It's only eight in the morning," Younghyun adds, sliding into his own seat and pulling his meal towards him. "Show some respect for the people who made your breakfast."  

Their eldest rolls his eyes. "Aw, you guys are no fun. I just thought you guys finally realised your feelings for each other." Jae tugs his meal towards himself, too, giving it an appreciative sniff, complete with a dimple-y smile and scrunched eyes, then mumbles a _let's eat well_. 

 

 

It isn't like they're not used to it, Younghyun and Sungjin. Ever since the former came back from Canada and they started sharing an apartment, rumours that they were dating had spread from their friends, to co-workers, to family members (and even to Younghyun's friends in Canada, though the two best friends had no idea how). They can't remember when, how or why that began, but all of a sudden, everyone they knew were rooting for their nonexistent romance. Their friends ask if they're too shy to announce their relationship. Their parents call them every week to unironically ask,  _have you planned your wedding yet_? Their co-workers poke fun at their friendship, say that there's more to them than it seems, that the way they look at each other is too affectionate for friends and they're both denying it for too long. And the two best friends? They're confused.  

Sungjin often wonders, what do their family and friends see that they don't? Beyond their long history of friendship (and the occasional squabbling as roommates), neither Younghyun nor Sungjin had anything special together. They were a mere pair of best friends who shared an apartment to cut expenses. They cook each other's meals, go on weekend drives (Sungjin loves going to the theme park, while Younghyun often stops by the beach), and bicker over who gets to choose movies every Friday night. Their friendship is chill, comfortable and definitely not romantic. Not one ounce of romance weighs between them. At least, not that Sungjin knows. 

Though he wouldn't oppose if there was, but that's a secret he keeps to himself. 

Here he is, watching his best friend pick the strings of their guitar as they prepare for am impromptu Sunday jam session. With glasses perched on his high nose and a sharp glint twinkling in his eyes, Younghyun looks like the epitome of handsome intelligence--which isn't so far from the truth-- but his unruly hair and folded collar say otherwise. Out of habit, Sungjin reaches out to fix his best friend's collar, then parts the bangs so Younghyun can see. 

Younghyun glances at him through his glasses. "Aw, thanks wifey." 

A smile tugs at Sungjin's lips, the one he shows when he's caught being sweet towards someone and he wishes he wasn't. "Your hair was messy."

"I know." 

"You should brush it when you wake up. It'll get the tangles out of your hair." 

Reaching up to his hair, some of the brown strands curled after tossing and turning in his sleep, Younghyun shrugs in reply. "Nah. I like it like this. It's cute when it's curled, see?" 

Sungjin leans forward to touch those strands, too, running his fingers in between to detangle them. "I guess. But your hair's all tangled. You should brush it."

"Don't want to. We're not going anywhere today, anyway." 

Their conversation falls after that, as Younghyun returns to strumming the guitar and humming a tuneless melody while Sungjin stares off into space. He's mesmerised by how their translucent curtains flutter in the melody of the morning breeze, how golden sunlight falls through their open window, how Younghyun's succulents shivered on their window sill. After their toast and coffee for breakfast, a delicious aroma of butter on toasted bread, alongside the bitter scent of coffee, wafts in the air. 

Then a pair of smooth fingers come up to Sungjin's hair, brushes away some of the bangs that cover his line of sight and ruffles the hair that sticks up on top of his head. When he comes to, he's looking directly at Younghyun's dark brown eyes.

Alarm bells ring off in his head, something like _too close too close too close_  echoing like sirens. Sungjin coughs, an abrupt wave of shyness rushing over him from nowhere, and averts his gaze at once. Younghyun doesn't realise anything, still ruffling the elder's hair to make sure it looks neat. 

"Now you don't have to brush yours," he says, hand returning back to the guitar. 

The elder, trying to dismiss the feeling, blinks and clears his throat. "Right. Thanks." 

 

 

For a man as attractive as himself, Younghyun has never dated anybody. Not once in his entire twenty-something years. As with most people, he's had his fair share of crushes throughout the years, from school to university to the workplace, landing on both men and women alike. He's even had a number of admirers from both genders too-- inevitable, since Younghyun's charms were endless-- yet he's never reached out for any of them, has stayed single the entire time. He's never found anyone worthy enough to date.

"Why?" Sungjin asks one day. They're walking through a busy street in downtown Seoul, both of them holding a drink in one hand and Sungjin carrying a shopping bag in his other hand. A gray hue coloured the sky and the buildings above them in different shades, a slight wind picking up to tickle their ears and whisper among the trees. It being a Tuesday, there weren't as many people as on the weekends, yet the pavements on both sides of the street were brimming with life. Restaurants flowed with patrons; dogs bark as they walk with their owners, tugging them by their leashes; music trickled from all sorts of shops and cars zoomed past them on the roads.

Neither of them like to go downtown, but it's pleasant to bask among the crowd and watch the world go by.  

Younghyun responds with a shrug. Their footsteps fall in sync as they follow the rhythm of their conversation, clacks of their shoes in a constant tempo. "I don't know," he says, eyes down on the ground to watch for cracks in the pavement. "I never put much thought about dating. Too much of a hassle, I think, to find someone and fall in love with them. I'd rather date a person I've known for years, but there isn't anyone I know whom I'd actually date." 

"That's why you meet someone new. Someone attractive whom you'd date. Then you take your time in getting to know them well." 

"But I don't want to," argues Younghyun. He almost trips over a crack in the sidewalk despite watching out for them, but Sungjin catches his arm on time and steadies him up. "I don't want to do all that. If I have to date, I wanna skip to the falling-in-love part."  

The elder nods. "Well, that's kind of understandable. You're focused on your career, aren't you? And dating would take up too much time. It's probably not in your top five priorities. "  

Younghyun chuckles, shakes his head. "It's not even in my top ten." 

There's a thoughtful hum as a response, a tug on the end of his sleeves as Sungjin leads him away from a block. "I get you," the elder says. "Even though I've wanted to date for a while, I think the same way, too. Dating seems...too much to do. Too many meetings with unfamiliar, most of the time unpleasant people and trying to like them." Then a pause as he takes a breath. "Or maybe I just haven't found the right person yet. I'm not sure either." 

Their conversation lulls for a moment as they cross the street, almost losing each other in the crowd of the zebra crossing. Younghyun finds Sungjin's arm amidst the people to stop himself from being swayed by the current of the crowd. They hurry on quick steps to reach the other side, where the sidewalk was wider, had more food stalls standing around and lesser people walked by. 

"But like, it's not like I mind being single," Younghyun admits once they're on the other side. The crowd from the crossing dissipates around them and they're free to breathe once more. "I already have enough friends and family to love me." 

"So do I," Sungjin says. "Romance sounds nice, but it isn't as pretty as they make it out to be. There's all sorts of people out there who you'd rather not talk to, let alone love." 

"Are you talking about your demon ex?"  

Younghyun laughs as the elder whacks him on the side. "Shut up," his best friend says, scrunching up his nose in distaste. "Don't bring her up again. Those days were hell and I deserved better." 

"You still do." 

Sungjin chuckles. "I still do. I deserve better but no one deserves me, and that's probably why I'm single." 

"Ooh, I like that confidence." His friend pats him on the shoulder. "You're right. A man as great as you deserve better than a demonic bitch like her."

"Yeah, whatever." Chucking in his empty drink into a nearby trash bin, Sungjin wipes his hand down his pants and continues, "Anyway, I remember the time when you did want to date, you had a lot of chances come by. Many of your crushes liked you back and you were pretty popular, too. What happened then? Why didn't you date any of them?" 

Another shrug. Younghyun gravitates to a street boutique with doors wide open, leading his best friend inside to stare at the clothes and accessories displayed. While thinking of an answer, he struts up to a mannequin, takes off the fedora from its head, and wears it. "How do I look?" 

"Cringey," Sungjin answers. "Like those people who say m'lady and only opens doors for pretty girls."  

The younger giggles, removes the fedora and places it on top of Sungjin's head instead. "There. You suit that character. Looks, personality, and even the fedora."  

"I'm offended," huffs the elder, taking off the hat and returning it to its place. "You haven't answered my question yet."  

"I'm thinking," Younghyun responds, wandering over to another mannequin. "I'm not sure what to say. I just? Even though I wanted to, it felt unnecessary to date back then, and it still doesn't. I already have all the love I need, so why bother finding more?" 

"Where do you get all the love from?" 

"People around me, I guess. Specifically from my friends and family." Moving to a display table next, Younghyun hunches over the different types of accessories laid out in boxes: there's short and long, simple and intricate necklaces; mini charms hanging from handmade bracelets; rings and earrings of all shapes and sizes, and even custom-made pendants to be hung on necklace chains or empty bracelets. Among them, he picks up a handmade leather bracelet with a bronze owl, a crescent moon and a daisy hanging on three different straps, giving it a rusted vintage look. "Sungjin, give me your hand."  

The elder obeys, lying his wrist on the table so Younghyun can tie the bracelet around it. "It's pretty," he remarks, shaking the bracelet so the charms tinkle against each other.  

"It is. Want me to buy it for you?"  

"It's fine. I have a couple of them already that I haven't worn yet--" 

"I'll buy it," the younger concludes. He moves on to the next section of accessories, eyes hunting for a bracelet he can wear, too, preferably a similar one so they can match. "As a thank you for one of the people who has loved me all these years."  

Oh. Sungiin doesn't know what to say to that. A wave of affection bursts out from within. 

 

 

Despite the facade he puts up, Younghyun has been longing to date for a while. 

Yes, yes, he knows. After all those questions from Sungjin and all those years denying romance, Younghyun should be content with the way he's living his life right now. It's true that he has all the love he needs to survive, sent from his darling parents and his doting cousins, his ragtag group of pals and his supportive co-workers, but there's been a niggling in the back of his mind lately that he can't deny.  

To be fair, he doesn't want to fall in love with any random someone. What he said to his best friend that Tuesday was definitely the truth.  

However, what he _didn't_ say aloud was that he wanted to fall in love with a certain someone. Someone who fits his criteria of knowing him inside out, of being together for long, of fitting him the way the moon suits the night and the sun suits the day.  

As much as he hates to admit it, he wants to love-- or fall in love with-- Sungjin. 

Maybe their friends and family were right, after all. Maybe they were meant to be together with how close they are, how they've memorised each other's quirks and triggers, how they stay tight and understanding despite their many arguments. How they make exceptions for each other-- had anyone else stolen Sungjin's favourite pajama shirt, they'd be gone within moments, but Younghyun could wear it for an entire week; if anyone dared to wake Younghyun early on the weekend, he'd stuff their mouth with his fist, but Sungjin is allowed to do it because it meant early breakfast. How Younghyun is free to style Sungjin's hair the way he wants, how Sungjin can borrow Younghyun's cleanser any day of the week. How they trade pillows when they feel like it. How they share anything and everything under the quiet canvas of the night, accompanied only by crickets and the occasional car driving below their balcony.  

Yeah. They're probably meant for each other. Younghyun knew that, sensed that since the dawn of their brotherhood, but he never imagined that it would go beyond being pals, beyond being each other's pillar of strength.  

"So what are you waiting for? Ask him out already," Jae interrupts, perching his cheek on his palm and quirking a disinterested eyebrow. As usual, he's at Younghyun's apartment to leech off their homecooked meal, except Sungjin isn't around tonight because he has work to finish up in the office. Their apartment is slightly quieter than normal since the TV isn't on the way Sungjin likes it. Their dinners are a little cold because Younghyun heated them too early, and the living room is toasty because the hot summer night floods in through their open windows.  

Younghyun doesn't look up from his noodles. "Ask him out?" he muses. "All of a sudden?"  

"I mean, how else are you going to do it?"  

A shrug. "I don't know. Drop hints?"  

The elder scoffs, stuffing some rice into his mouth. "Both of you have been dropping hints for the past one point five years," he points out, "and nothing has happened at all. Might as well get to the point." 

"What do you mean, dropping hints? We don't have anything going on between us." 

"Yeah, keep on denying that until he finds someone else and you realise it's too late." Stabbing a piece of potato with his chopstick, Jae chews on it loudly. "Ask him out," he presses. "You want to find out whether you guys suit each other, no?" 

Younghyun hums. "But I don't have any feelings for him. I'm just curious if we're compatible or not. Isn't that jumping too far ahead? What if things don't work out?"  

"That's why you try. You'll get your answers if you try first."  

"And if we break it off?"  

"Then continue being friends?" Standing up from the table, Jae grabs his cup and strides over to the water filter to refill his glass. When the water fills three-fourths of the cup, he stops and raises it to his lips, sipping it from the top while he bores his eyes on his friend.  

Younghyun fidgets under the heavy stare. "What?"  

"And if that doesn't work out, too," Jae continues, as if there was no pause in their dialogue, "then it's time to call it off. Your time as best friends will be over." 

The younger's shoulders fall. 

"Don't worry too much, though," adds Jae, turning his back to his friend to refill his cup yet again. "Seeing how  tight you guys are, there's a very thin chance that you'll end up calling your entire friendship off. I mean, if you've held it together for this long, something as simple as testing the waters isn't gonna hurt anyone."  

 

 

The same question plagues Sungjin's existence.

_Ask him out_ , Jae had advised him one early morning, when Younghyun wasn't yet awake and their breakfast was far too hot from the microwave. The rest of the neighbourhood snored away at the seventh hour of the morning, the sound of boiling water interrupting the otherwise loud, sleepy silence of the apartment. Jae had stared down at Sungjin the way he stared down Younghyun a few nights back, his beady eyes sharp and twinkling behind those circle lenses.  _You won't find anything out if you don't ask him out, so do it._  

It's a question that Sungjin thinks about day and night. When he's cooking breakfast, when he's commuting to work, when he's secretly snacking on peanuts in his office. Asking Younghyun out was such-- such a weird question. A weird thing to do. A weird thing to think about. To ask his best friend out, someone who's known him for years, can list out the qualities he doesn't know he has, can expose his faults and his good deeds, have been with him through his thick, thin and almost-breaking points, seemed strange. Not bad, not good, but strange.  

Though it isn't as if they're doing any harm, like Jae said. In a way, it does make sense to push their friendship a little forward, maybe extend it into something romantic with how deep they've went. And, judging from the heart skips he's experiencing lately, Sungjin thinks it's high time. 

He takes a deep breath. He can do it. He should do it. He will do it.  

In fact, the moment Younghyun finishes showering and dressing up, Sungjin is going to drop the question once and for all. His resolve is formed. The words are on the tips of his tongue. He's going to-- 

"So what's for breakfast?"  

Sungjin jumps in his seat, not expecting his best friend to materialise out of nowhere, and loses all his courage at once. Turning his head to the left, he watches Younghyun pull out the chair beside him and plop down on it, dressed in a loose black shirt and blue shorts. His collarbones peek out beneath the shirt. A neck towel with printed ducks were thrown over his shoulders, which he uses to rub at his wet hair and sprinkle droplets onto the table.  

"Uh," the elder says. He pushes himself out, walking towards the refrigerator and opening it. "What do you want? Noodles? Fried eggs?"  

"I'll have whatever you have."  

"Eggs, yeah?" 

"Sure." 

Two cracked eggs later, the sound of butter sizzling on a pan and tomatoes being chopped on the wooden board fills up the tiny kitchen. While Sungjin busies himself as the chef, pouring the egg mixture onto the pan and scattering the tomato bits into it, Younghyun leans against his chair and watches his best friend's back, wishing he knew how to cook the simplest breakfast without burning the kitchen down.  

If it weren't for the elder, he wouldn't have been able to survive every morning. Any time Sungjin isn't around to fix them breakfast, Younghyun either finds himself starving until lunchtime or scrambling an undercooked/overcooked meal to suffice as breakfast. In fact, if it weren't for Sungjin, Younghyun would be troubled with searching clean, ironed clothes to wear for work because he never remembers to separate the fresh clothes from the once-or-twice-worn pile. If it weren't for Sungjin, Younghyun would've missed the first half of his alarms (they start from five fourty-five am all the way til eight) and forget to shave every month or so. If it weren't for Sungjin, Younghyun would forget to throw out the expired groceries each week.  

And maybe, maybe, if it weren't for Sungjin, Younghyun wouldn't have been so contented with all the love he receives from the elder, so satisfied that the thought of dating another person has never crossed his mind. 

If it weren't for Sungjin, if it weren't for Sungjin, if it weren't for Sungjin...

A pair of fingers snap in front of his face and return him back to reality. While Younghyun flinches, shakes himself out of his thoughts, a plate of fried eggs and diced tomatoes appear below his nose, accompanied by fried sausages on the side. The very man who had been drowning his thoughts stare into Younghyun's eyes.  

"Eat up, Younghyun," Sungjin says, pushing the plate towards him. A note of worry taints his voice. "You okay? You've been staring into space for a while."  

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just zoned out for a bit." Putting his palms together, Younghyun mumbles _let's eat well._  

 

 

Every weekend, if they can afford to, Sungjin makes a point to go out into town and spend a couple of hours basking outdoors. They don't have to do anything as long as they're together; sometimes, that means they lounge on a rooftop cafe, sipping pink lemonade beneath the shade of an umbrella as they eye the people below them. Sometimes they go to Sungjin's favourite theme park again, ride all the new rides and snack on cotton candy and take pictures while wearing silly headbands, or they eat grand seafood while admiring the view at Younghyun's favourite beach.

Today, they go out for a city drive in Sungjin's Honda Civic, the windows rolled down a little to let in the night time air. Whizzing past closed boutiques, empty playgrounds, quiet residences and twenty-four-hour convenience stores, they wind their way from the suburbs to the downtown area, where throngs of people hung about the streets and cars still pass the roads. Younghyun, being in the passenger seat, tweaks and fiddles with the radio, at last settling on an easy-listening station to suit the cozy atmosphere. Sungjin, eyes set on the road before him, taps his fingers to the beat and hums.  

His best friend breaks into a smile. "Good song, yeah?" 

"Perfect."  

He takes them out onto a midnight food market by the river, where lines of queue snake by food trucks and a heavy smell of fried food dances in the air. Bright tunes from the country's top-40 chart blare from the speakers, loud enough to wake them up but not enough to hurt their ears, and a non-stop buzz of chatter rings around the area. Parking the car in a nearby lot and turning off the engine, Sungjin announces, "Let's eat."  

"Now? Twenty minutes past midnight?"  

The elder shrugs, already tugging Younghyun's wrist towards the food trucks. "I'm hungry, you're hungry. Let's go." 

Younghyun doesn't complain. Even if he's full, watching his best friend eat can make him forget an entire meal he's digested, so he lets himself go and trails after the elder. They trot over towards the trucks, nose twitching at the delicious aroma of street snacks, soup, noodles, steak and whatever food is prepared. Smoke from the cooking gather beneath the high streetlights, forming gray wisps of clouds. Plastic tables and chairs scatter across the ground, most of them already taken, while other people sit cross-legged on picnic mats or benches or stand in groups. 

As per routine, Sungjin decides what they're going to eat. His eyes have set on a snacks truck, large, attractive signs of corn dogs and odeng and fries hanging by the sides, along with a number of people queueing in front of it.  

"Fried food? Are you sure?" questions his best friend, halting to a stop. "I don't think it's a good idea. I thought you wanted to lose weight?"  

A nonchalant shrug and a casual side glance was the reply, as if Sungjin hadn't fussed over his diet for the past month. "You can finish my food, then," he resolved, not wanting to pass up the chance for midnight snacks. In between those words, a hidden _I'll feed you_  hangs in the air. 

As simple as that, Younghyun agrees and brushes off his concern. "Oh, cool. Okay then."

"I knew you'll eat, anyway," grins the elder. "Can you find us a seat?"

"Sure. Don't forget to order mine, too. I'll have whatever you'll have." Twisting his wrist out of Sungjin's hand, Younghyun strides away into the maze of tables and people eating. 

Fifteen minutes and a lot of stomach growling later, Sungjin returns to Younghyun holding a paper plate of fried goods-- corndogs, a handful of fries and the compulsory chicken wings, decorated by a dollop of chili and tomato sauce on the corner. He balances two large cups of lemon tea on his arms as well, taking careful steps so as to not spill them until he arrives at the circular table where his best friend sat.  

Younghyun sits up on the tall stool, eager to take in the food. "What did you get?" 

"This," Sungjin says, placing the plate on the table. 

His best friend yelps in glee. "You're the best!" he exclaims, eyes wide in excitement and a smile stretched across his face. Then, realising there was only one plate and not two, he asks, "Wait, you only got one? What about me?" 

Seating himself opposite of his best friend, Sungjin lifts his shoulders into a shrug, then sips his lemon tea. "We're sharing." 

"Uh?"

"I mean, even though I suggested to eat here in the first place, I still kind of want to maintain my diet. So we're sharing," Sungjin declares. It isn't uncommon for him to decide things for both of them out nowhere, just as he decided what food they were going to eat. He plucks out a single fry from the plate, dips it in the combined sauce, then leans over the table to prod Younghyun in the corner of his lips. "Open your mouth wide. Say aah." 

Face contorting into a self-conscious frown, Younghyun shifts forward on his seat, bends over and opens his mouth, accepting the fry. This wasn't unusual. They often fed each other their food in the comfort of their own kitchen, especially when one of them couldn't finish their share. Sometimes they would share their food in the car, too, or maybe on a park bench or in the seating on the outside of a convenience store.  

Yet, right now, in the middle of a crowded area with couples making up about eighty percent of the people, Younghyun couldn't help but feel a number of heads turn their way. They could easily be mistaken for another couple, wouldn't they? 

The elder doesn't think much of it, though. As he watches the younger munch on the fry, his eyes soften at the edges, the teasing smile melting into one of affection-- a little more intimate than the usual brotherly gaze, a little more warm and soft. It's a gaze that he's been showing more often lately. It only serves to fluster Younghyun more.

"You're not gonna eat?" he asks, trying to divert his best friend's look away. Beside them, the couple laughing over their noodles spare them a curious glance, one that goes unnoticed by the ever-carefree Sungjin. 

The elder nods. "Of course I will." As if to prove his point, Sungjin picks up a corndog and bites away half of it from the stick. "Do you want some?" 

Younghyun raises his eyebrows at the large bite mark. "No. Not after you ate it like that." 

"It's not like you care."  

"Yeah I do." 

"Oh really?" 

"Yeah. You bit it like a monster," the younger teases. Opening his mouth wide until his molars were visible, Younghyun imitates his best friend eating the corndog and pretends to bite the night air, baring his teeth in a scary snarl. "Like that."

Popping the rest of the corndog into his mouth in one go, Sungjin places the empty skewer stick onto the paper plate, then says, "You don't care about what others think of us, though."  

"What do you mean?" 

"You know, how everyone calls us a couple." 

"Oh, that? Well." Younghyun shrugs, as if he didn't flinch at the topic being brought up from nowhere, as if he hadn't been contemplating their relationship for the past week. Nah. He should play it cool and pretend it doesn't bother him as much as he does, so he continues, "I mean, well, I don't know. It's been a while since people started calling us that, so I got used to it I guess. And besides, I can kind of see where they're coming from." 

This time, it was Sungjin's turn to raise his eyebrows up. His face brightens with a pleasant surprise. "You do?" 

"Uh, yes?" 

"What do you mean by that? You can see us dating?" 

A large, unexpected wave of embarrassment washes over Younghyun that moment, realising what words had left his mouth and what implications it had. He blinks, tilts his head to the side as he figures out what to say.  

Sungjin fills in the space for him. Propping himself on his elbows, he emits a quiet chuckle and shakes his head, his dark brown bangs swaying smoothly at the movement. "Wow. I didn't expect you to say that."

Oh God. Dread pushes onto Younghyun's chest, almost topples him over with uncertainty on his best friend's words. Was this a rejection? His best friend's roundabout way of saying no?  

He should have been well-prepared, but oh well.

"To be honest," Sungjin continues, oblivious to the internal war erupting in Younghyun's mind, "I think the same way, too."  

Then a gash of relief bursts open in Younghyun's chest. "Really?" 

"Yeah." There's a pause as Sungjin picks up another fry and stuffs it into his mouth in one go. "Yeah, I do." As he munches on the fry, he stares to the side, at the bustling staff inside food trucks, at a group of children running around their parents, at two couples sitting in front of the river and watching the night lights dance in the reflection. "I don't--I don't see it myself, but there must be a reason why everyone says we're dating, right? Even our parents, who have seen us grow together, say the same thing. So I've been thinking about it."  

"Ah." 

Awkward silence. Sungjin has more to say, more to do, a waterfall of brewing thoughts that he's kept under the surface for months suddenly rushing out, but the next few words on his tongue are frozen in fear. 

Younghyun seems to read his mind. His fingers drum a rhythmless beat on the table, mouthing the words on the tip of his tongue as well, reading the nuances in his best friend's expression and waiting for the right timing. A minute passes. Then two. Then three. Their eyes are locked on each other. Not a single word exchanged. 

Then he breaks the silence, dropping the following words in the air-- "Well, why don't we try it out?" 

 

 

To their surprise, dating each other wasn't as exciting as everyone made it seem to be. They're still roommates. Sungjin still drives them around every weekend; Younghyun still shares his face creams with his boyfriend; they still argue over whose turn it is to hang the laundry and they still fight over the warmth of their blanket at night. All that changes between them was their status-- upgrading from mere best friends to lovers-- and a little more skinship in their daily life. 

Even though they're boyfriends now, Sungjin hasn't adjusted to all their skinship. A flustered red flushes on his cheeks and the tips of his ears whenever his boyfriend, ever the touchy one, grabs their hands out of nowhere or leaves him with a peck on the cheek.  

Like at this moment, where they're walking down the dairy section of the local grocery store, walls of milk and butter and cheese surrounding them on both sides, and Younghyun keeps on swinging their hands together. No one else is watching them, and even if they were, no one can care less about a pair of boyfriends buying gorceries, but Sungjin prickles in embarrassment, anyway. Tugging a bit at his boyfriend's fingers, he glances over and asks, "Why are you holding my hand?"  

A teasing smile tugs the ends of Younghyun's lips, having already expected the question from the elder. Curling his fingers tighter over Sungjin's calloused ones, enjoying the way his boyfriend's nose scrunches up in distaste, Younghyun replies, "Because you're my boyfriend?"   

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you can hold my hand out of nowhere." In a vain attempt to relieve embarrassment, Sungjin tries to release his fingers from the younger's hold, but Younghyun has a grip of steel. 

The younger juts his chin out into his direction. "And you're wearing my hoodie."  

"So? What about it?" 

"...Just because you're my boyfriend, that doesn't mean you can wear it." 

Sungjin huffs in that tsundere way of his. He hopes the blue hood on top of his head can hide his redder cheeks. "Well, I can now. I do what I want."  

"Then that means I can hold your hand." 

Another huff. He decides to give in instead, relaxing his fingers in the younger's grip, letting his boyfriend rub a thumb over the back of his hand. "Fine then. Fair enough." 

As if linking their fingers weren't enough, Younghyun adds a peck on the cheek as well. Sungjin recoils into himself, too shy to accept the public display of affection.

  

 

It's fun, Younghyun thinks, to push all of Sungjin's anti-skinship buttons and see how far he can go. That means giving back-hugs at random points throughout the day, stealing kisses when they're side by side-- when they're cooking, when they're brushing their teeth, when they're about to drift off to sleep-- and leaning into each other as they watch TV every night. It also means drinking from each other's cups, sharing their clothes and pretending it was a mistake, or barreling into each other's arms when the day ends.  

And Sungjin learns to accept it. Learns to adapt to smooth fingers holding his own, to soft hair leaning on his shoulder, to another person's warmth pressing close to him when it's cold outside or the night is high and sleepy. Learns to love the touches and affection, learns to express the butterflies in his heart, learns to give love as much as he receives. 

Since nothing else really changes between them, they also learn that they've been dating all along. 

It seemed like everyone was right, after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> \- comments are lovely and always appreciated <3   
>  \- some small mistakes are now corrected (this is why you don't post at 2am, guys)   
>  \- hmu on [twitter](http://twitter.com/seohngjin) and [tumblr!](http://sungjhin.tumblr.com)


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